Excuse me!

September 9, 2012

If you have been reading Nancy’s Notes, you have found me to be upbeat, pleasant and positive. Every once in a while, I have to get on my soapbox and spew. It is great for the soul and might actually teach people something, I hope!

One of my pet peeves is being interrupted. It has happened to me more than once. Actually it has happened too many times. I will be talking with Person “A” regarding business, or whatever, and Person “B” will walk up to Person “A” and start talking, ignoring the fact that I am standing there. This has happened in social situations and business meetings several times. It has even happened at the monthly Happy Hours I host. I have never heard an “excuse me,” or “I am sorry for interrupting,” or anything else along those lines. They just continue their conversation and when finished Person “B” walks away. I would be more accepting of this practice if I were included in the conversation, but usually I am ignored and treated like a window, if you catch my drift.

For self preservation, I now walk away when A & B begin their conversation and exclude me. I have no patience for rude, ill-mannered people.

Did they not learn social manners as a child? Did their parents not explain to them that interrupting is unacceptable. Should we chalk it up to the “me” generation’s way of conducting themselves? How are they going to teach their children about manners if they don’t have any?

mary dluzen

Well, either they think their conversation is more important than yours or they think they won’t remember their comment if they wait their turn…LOL. Your experience and feelings are shared. Someone must have a witty way to deal with this. Have I done it? Hmmm, I don’t remember!

I must say that the lack of manners has increased since my children’s generation. When I was growing up, God forbid I interrupted an adult conversation without saying excuse me, took something without saying “thank you” or asking for something without saying “please”. I raised my children the same way I was raised, however, something happened when they had their children. I see it every day in young people today. Children running around in stores, grabbing items off of shelves and the parents standing there not saying a word, or children in restaurants, carrying on, yelling and screaming getting absolutely no discipline from their parents.

I have to think it’s more than the way people of today were raised. Perhaps it’s all the new technology that they’re exposed to, some of the TV shows, supposedly cartoons that children are allowed to watch and which are really geared to adults that seem to condone bad manners. Whatever the cause, we are stuck with the results.

Walking away from a conversation you were having that has been interrupted by a third party may send a message, but I believe that someone that would interrupt an ongoing conversation is narcissistic and would not get the message; after all, it’s “all about them”.

Dominique Ciccone Lopes

Yes agree with all of the above! Any ideas for a clever retort? I usually make a joke out of it and say, “I’ve just been hijacked!” Usually the culprit just keeps on going! Maybe an elbow to the cut would have more of an impact! The bad behavior can be contagious. I had picked up the habit of cutting people off until one of my friends/co-workers pointed it out, which I greatly appreciated. No one wants to be THAT person- the hijacker!